


Small Business Management

by Ella_Libel



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24498289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ella_Libel/pseuds/Ella_Libel
Summary: During David's senior year the Rose family moves to a small town. David joins BPA at his parents wishes to be more social.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	1. New Town, Who Dis?

**Chapter One: New Town, Who Dis?**

* * *

David wasn’t sure why his mother had decided to leave her show and let their father move them away to this dinky small town. He wasn't sure any of them even liked it here. Not much discussion had been had with David and Alexis in the room. All Johnny and Moira had said was that it was necessary and would be an adventure. Now as he tried again to fit all of his clothes into this much smaller closet in his much smaller room in his practically tiny house he wondered again at his current predicament.

“David, I worry about you son. We've been here for two months. School is starting tomorrow and you've barely left the house.” His father said while leaning into his room. He wasn't sure what his father did all day. He just sat in his, basically a box, office all day quietly. “Your mother and I want you to-”

“What does mom want me to do? Mom is more upset about the move than anyone right now. Why are we even here dad?”

“Your mother is no longer on the show and we sold the house in LA to move closer to my new business. You know this David.”

“Yes, I do know this, but why did we do that? Dad none of this makes sense. Why isn't Mom on the show? Why did we sell the house? Why did we have to move closer to whatever this random job is in which you never leave your office. Where is Mom anyway?”

“She’s out with Jocelyn I’m not sure where. I know Alexis is out at probably the cafe again with the other girls on the squad.”

“Fine. Whatever. What do you guys want me to do? I don’t like it here. I’m a senior. Why now. Why couldn’t we have stayed in LA where I have friends and things to do.”

“That's what we want you to do. We want you to find something to do to make the time move faster for you. I’m hoping that by this time next year we're back to the city and all of this will be behind us and it's your last year anyway. Better to focus on your future than your friends you don't even like.”

“I-”

“You don't like them David. I'm not an idiot.”

“Whatever. They had connections to fun things and now they all think I’m a joke anyway. I doubt they'll ever text me while I'm here. Maybe next year I can show them my glow up.”

“Yes. until then find something to do and some people to do it with. Please.”

“Whatever. I’ll be going to town soon. I’m hungry.”

“Fine. Check in on your sister when you do.”

“I’m sure Alexis is fine. She doesn't like it when I check on her.”

“Do it anyway son.”

“Yeah ok.”

**********

David’s father Johnny left his son there playing with the rings on his fingers to go sit in his makeshift office. He worried he would have to tell them the truth. He didn't have a job. He had connections to a cheap house and a couple ideas. They had basically no money left and his wife had been written off her show. He knew they'd find out eventually with how little their mother was her usual dramatic self but that was changing too. He just hoped Jocelyn would be able to help her more.  
For now he worried mostly about his son. The only one who hasn't made any connections here yet. They wouldn't be here long but it would be harder for David if he had no one to talk to outside of his family. He worried the most about his son. Moira is resilient, she will be fine. Alexis is flexible, she’ll make any situation work for her. Johnny is resourceful and he will find a way to save them. David is unique and talented but not good with people.

**********

David walked through the town with a displeased look on his face. The style of this town could use some help. It was small and quaint sure but several years outdated. He found the local Cafe and saw his sister sitting in the corner with several girls. The local school’s cheerleading squad. How she got on the squad was almost a mystery. Alexis had a way of making things happen for her. She was naturally gifted that way.

“The best way to fit in David is to stand out” she had said to him when she told him she was a cheerleader now.

“What's that supposed to mean?”

“Ugh nevermind David you wouldn't get it.”

Now he walked up to her and simply said, “text dad. Let him know I saw you and you're fine and apparently still at the cafe.”

“Why can't you do it David?”

“Because I'm not the one being checked on Alexis.”

“Ugh, whatever, just go David.”

“Fine.”

They stick their tongues out at each other while he backs away to the counter. There he gets a drink and a muffin from the girl who won't shut up and leaves Alexis with her new friends.  
He goes to the store to pick up some things his parents forgot to get and then texts his dad to let him know Alexis is just fine with her friends who never seem to leave the cafe, knowing full well she won't, and that he’s at the store and will be home soon. All he gets back is an, Ok son. Take your time., in response. He rolls his eyes at that and asks a girl shelving things where the face towelettes are.

“The what?”

“Face towelettes. You know like towelettes for your face.”

“Face towels?”

“Yes, the ones that take off makeup.”

“Makeup remover wipes are in the cosmetic section two rows over.”

“Thank you for that”, he says in a sarcastic tone.

He goes to walk away and turns back to her rolling her eyes. She points to the left and he shrugs and goes where she pointed to find his sister’s towelettes. He picks up some questionable almost generic skin care for the both of them and then goes to wait in line.  
On his way out the door a girl almost runs into him while giggling and he drops a bag.

He sighs and goes to pick it up but there is a boy there holding the bag out to him smiling with shining eyes.

“I'm sorry about her. She's on a sugar rush from 5 frappuccinos from the cafe.” the boy says to him, smiling. “Cheerleaders right?”

The girl just giggles some more while David takes the bag from the boy, smiling at him without knowing why and says, “That's ok. My sister is a cheerleader so I understand. She's eccentric.”

“Patrick come on.” the petite ginger girl says to the smiling boy while tugging on his arm.

“Fine, I'm coming. Sorry again, I hope you have a good day. See you around.”

“Bye”, David watches them go and as he walks home he is a little less mad at the world than he was before.


	2. First Day

Why is school starting on a Wednesday? Alexis thinks to herself as she rolls over to turn off her alarm far too early for her liking. She slowly gets out of bed and then quickly gets into the bathroom before David can. When she's out, dressed, and doing her hair she notices David isn't around. She walks across the hall from her room to his and opens his door. She finds his room dark and him still in his bed.

“David! Oh my gosh get up. I don't want to be late!”

She goes to his window and opens the blinds.

“Oh my gosh, why Alexis? You hate school more than I do.”

“The girls are gathering in front of the school to walk in together and if I’m not with them I will kill you. Move it David. Move.”

She rips off his white comforter and blasts his music as she stomps loudly to the bathroom to finish her hair.

**********

David groans as he now has to get up and get dressed. He should know what he's going to wear but he also just doesn't want to go to a new school.

Eventually he is dressed with his skin all prepped and his hair done precisely as he likes it. While he eats breakfast and waits for Alexis his mother talks to him.

“Now David, don’t look so grumpy all day.”

“Mother, I’m fine.”

“Dear, are you sure you got enough sleep last night. I don't like the look of your eyes.”

“I’m fine.”

“Ah, Alexis, don’t you think David looks grumpy and tired?”

“What? No. He looks fine, we have to go.” Alexis responds while grabbing a jacket and her bag.

David hands her one of her yogurts and a spoon then kisses his mother on the cheek.

“Goodbye mother. Enjoy your day please.”

“Goodbye dear.”

In the car Alexis bounces her knee and fidgets with her hair while eating her breakfast.

“We better not be late, she says glancing at the clock.”

“We won't be. If we are though I'd like to point out I was ready before you.”

“Whatever David. If I didn't have to get you out of bed I'd be ready on time but you'd still be moping.”

“You know you can drive yourself to school right?”

“We only have one car David. If I took it how would you get to school?”

“I wouldn't. That’s the point.”

“Ugh! David, it's just a year or whatever, don't be such a baby.”

“Excuse me let's see how you feel when you're a senior.”

“When I'm a senior I’ll have better things to do than mope in bed all day. Drive faster David!”

“I am not speeding for you to meet with friends.”

“David, I will kill you.”

“Good luck with that.”

The car eventually gets parked. Alexis gets out, rolls her eyes, turns back to David and says, “David, you'll be fine. No one cares.”

She then saunters over to where the squad was waiting for her by the sidewalk and then she’s surrounded on all sides and out of David’s sight.

He hoped she was right.

David goes to the office and gathers his new student information and finds his classes just fine. He gets introduced to classes and smiles when needed and talks when needed and keeps an eye on Alexis in the halls when he spots her. She waved at him once and patted his arm in passing during lunch when he sat at an almost empty table with a girl who looked sorta familiar with her long dark hair and bored expression. There was another girl he figured was the girl from the cafe walking around talking to people, no shock, and when she came to the table she sat by the girl with the dark hair and started to eat.

“Stevie, you should join this year. It will help you out if you do go into business.”

“Twyla do I really need to join a business club when I’m already working at two?”

“ You won't be working at the store for much longer. It would be fun. We could hang out more.”

“That sounds like a lotta fun Twy but really I don't think I have the time. At least not until I’m not needed at the store anymore. Why don't you ask the new guy right there?”

Cafe girl, Twyla, turns to David who sighs inside and puts a hardly convincing smile on his face.

“Hi. I’m Twyla. I've seen you at the cafe before. I saw you just yesterday and I know you're new and I wanted to just let you know that there is a club called BPA, Business Professionals of America who are meeting later this afternoon with potential members and I as president of said club just want to let as many future business owners as possible know.”

“That's so sweet but why do you think I’m going to be a future business owner?”

“Because your dad is a very successful business owner.”

“You know who my dad is?”

“Yeah, we all know who you guys are. You’re David Rose. Your father Johnny ran the second biggest-”

“Yup he sure did. I’m glad to know everyone here knows that.”

“Well maybe not everyone but at the cafe I do get to hear a lot of things. So will you come?”

*ding* David looks at his phone to see a text from Alexis. _Practice today after school. Don’t wait. I’ll get a ride._

David sighed and turned to look at the girls who seemed very interested in what he was about to say.

“Uhhh... maybe. I might.”

His father's request yesterday is the only thing in his brain that keeps him from saying no right away.

David doubts he will actually join the club but he needed proof to tell his father he tried and he just doesn't vibe with this small outdated town and all the plainly dressed people in it. For heaven's sake where did they get their clothes?

“Awesome. Well we meet in the computer lab across the hall from the lunch room right after school to meet and tell what goes on so I will see you both” the Twyla girl glares at Stevie? That must be her name.Twyla glares at the Stevie girl. “at the meeting this afternoon.”

Stevie just rolls her eyes as Twyla walks away. Then she looks to David. She looks like she wants to say something. Probably to make a joke about the Twyla girl but she doesn't. She just shrugs and goes back to looking around bored and eating her food. David soon leaves and goes to get to his next class just a bit early.

While walking down the hall he sees the smiling boy from yesterday and the small ginger cheerleader wrapped around his arm while they are talking to Twyla. She must be telling them about her club. He watches as he walks past them and then when Twyla hugs the smiling boy he assumes she got good news. Maybe David wouldn't mind going to the meeting after all.

After school he walks up to Alexis on her way to the gym and says, “I’m meeting with a club because Dad, so I can give you a ride home if you want. Just text me when you're done and let me know.”

“Good for you David. Have fun.”

They part ways after a missable head nod towards each other and while he walks away Alexis looks back at her big brother and smiles.

Maybe he will be alright.

***

Inside the computer lab David sees Stevie sitting next to Twyla while she talks to others around her. Acting as if he has always belonged, he sits right next to Stevie and pulls out his phone to look busy.

“I'm genuinely shocked you came.”

“Why?”

“Because you very clearly don't want to be here.”

“Neither do you.”

“That's true.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Because I don't have work today, can't use that, I don't have homework today, can't use that, and maybe after I’ll find something fun to do with these nerds and not be bored.”

“Makes sense. My dad made me.”

“Oldest excuse in the book. My parents said so.”

“Well they did.”

“I'm just glad I'm not the only one here who doesn't want to be.”

“Yeah? Are you going to join?”

“Eh probably. This is one club you can join and then be left alone to do your thing. Picture in the year book makes you look like you did something. Also it would make Twyla shut up.”

“She talks so much. I just moved here and I know too much about her already.”

“Yeah, she does that.”

“It's never really normal happy stuff either.”

“No. No it is not.”

“Finally, someone not dripping nice and fake smiles.”

“You saying I'm not nice?”

“You're not fake.”

“That was weirdly nice of you.”

“Are you saying _I'm_ not nice.”

“I don't know you well enough yet.”

“I don't know you at all. I just met you at lunch.”

“Did you find your face towels?”

David finally really looked at her. With her hair not in a ponytail and no name tag or apron on she looked really different but yes, she is the girl from the store.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Glad to be of service.”

She gave him an outrageously too big, fake smile and a tiny salute.

“I have decided that I like you, Stevie.”

“You know my name already. How creepily sweet. I think I will like you David Rose.”

“Everyone knows, I get it.”

Every time the door had opened during this small conversation with this girl he was beginning to like more and more David looked at the people coming through, hoping to see the smiling boy. Finally this time he did walk through. Then David sat straighter and Stevie looked at the door with him and smiled a crooked small smile while she rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat signaling the end of this conversation.

The smiling boy waved at everyone in the room. He even looked at David and gave him a head tilt. David waved and smiled a bit, he really couldn't help it. He made it known through a small gesture of his knee that the seat next him was in fact still open but slanted his body just enough to make it seem like he was just shifting and didn't care or notice the seat was there. He had enough practice at this in LA.

The smiling boy sat down next to him but then was pulled into a conversation with some different boys down the line. Soon the teacher in charge of the club started her presentation about the different things groups and individuals could do and compete in, in BPA.

He turned more towards Stevie needing her small bit of familiarity. They chatted and made fun of some of the categories and decided that they wanted to join forces and be a team. That way they could judge others and not be judged too harshly themselves. After the presentation the teacher asked if anyone had chosen what to do. David spoke first to claim his spot.

“Stevie and I want to be a team in”… he hesitated for a minute and Stevie pointed to a name on a slide on her computer, “small business management.”

“Ok.” The teacher responded. “However you need to find at least one more person to be in your team. The minimum is a group of three.”

“Fine.” David replied and sat down guessing he could find someone he could handle even just half as well as Stevie.

The others all decided their categories and Stevie and David sat together trying to find a person they both could stand. Then papers were in front of them and the smiling boy was pulling up a chair. David and Stevie glanced at each other and they both looked shocked although Stevie also looked amused and David looked slightly panicked.

“Hey. I’m Patrick.” he said, shaking David and Stevie’s hands. “I was hoping to join your small business management team since you need a member and I want to own a small business of my own someday. Is that alright with you two?”

“Uh, I guess so” Stevie responded while David looked at the papers.

“Great. They say they'll give us a prompt and these are some prompts they did in years past that we can look at to see what we might need to be prepared for. We also can meet outside of school when we aren't meeting as a club. I figured we could meet at the cafe maybe after school this week some day when you guys aren’t busy and figure out our work schedule.”

“Sounds great,” Stevie says.

“Yeah, sure Patrick. Sounds like a plan.” David calmly replies. 

"Awesome. What’s your name? I kinda know you,” he gestures to Stevie, “from town a bit, I've only been here a year or so and I'm still learning names, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before." He nods towards David.

“Yeah, I’m Stevie,” she says, extending her hand for another handshake.

“David, he offers his own, I just moved here from LA.”

“Oh. That explains it then.”

Patrick gets a text the same time David gets a text from Alexis saying she is ready to go home now.

“Ah. I’ve got to go give my girlfriend, Rachel, a ride home. It seems the girls are done practicing.”

“Yeah that’s what my sister, Alexis, says as well.”

“Ok. Let's make sure we have each others numbers so we can decide on a day to meet at the cafe.” Stevie says while she hands over a paper to Patrick with a number on it and holds out her hand for David's phone. He gives it to her without a second thought as if he already trusted her with his life. He didn’t realize what he did till she handed it back and then gave him hers.

They all walk out of the computer lab together swapping phone numbers. David gives his number to smiling- to Patrick without handing over his phone. He wasn't shocked by the girlfriend comment or news but he wouldn't lie to himself and say he wasn't a little bit bummed out now.

**********

When they got down the hallway to where just some of the cheerleaders were gathered Patrick waved goodbye and then found his arm wrapped around by his tiny girlfriend Rachel. He smiled at her then immediately looked up and watched as Stevie and David talked for a bit before Stevie left and David and his sister followed shortly after, walking gracefully and in perfect sync with each other. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was going on inside him right now but he knew that he was going to really enjoy BPA this year.


End file.
